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Health

31st Jan 2024

Cosmetic catfishing: Warning to Irish public after a rise in fake hospitals in Turkey

Kat O'Connor

Are people doing enough research before travelling to Turkey for surgery?

Travelling to Turkey for cosmetic surgery has become more and more common in recent years, but are people trusting hospitals too quickly?

People are signing up for extremely serious procedures, whether it’s a nose job, liposuction, or a bum lift.

They’re a far cry from a simple beauty treatment like getting your eyebrows threaded or your hair dyed.

Undergoing cosmetic surgery is a very personal decision, one people shouldn’t be judged for. If a certain procedure is going to make someone feel better then is it really causing any harm?

We may be less judgemental about cosmetic surgery, but there are concerns about how relaxed people are when it comes to the health ‘professionals’ they’re trusting.

In a recent warning from one of Turkey’s biggest medical ­tourism agencies, the Health Store Turkey confirmed that a concerning number of Irish people are falling for ‘rogue’ hospitals.

They may be promising cheaper cosmetic surgery, but they’re also ‘fake hospitals’ and are supplying false reviews.

“Unknown places in the middle of nowhere”

They’re luring people in with affordable treatments, but they’re actually causing more harm than good.

In a recent interview with The Independent, the CEO of Health Store Turkey, Nihal Terzi said people are initially told their surgery will take place in a hospital.

However, an alleged outbreak occurs and they’re then taken to “these unknown places in the middle of nowhere”.

Irish people have been warned against non-licensed clinics as they’re offering discounted surgeries to lure people in but the services are not safe.

Terzi urged Irish people to solely trust licenced professionals rather than a place that is cutting costs.

In 2023, three Irish women allegedly died after undergoing bariatric surgery in Turkey.

The harrowing losses prove that these procedures come with risks that we can no longer ignore.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised the Irish public to speak to their doctor in Ireland before even considering cosmetic surgery.

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